On September 12, 2016, Valery Freland, Consul general of France in Boston, and Mr. Laurent Colomines hosted the cocktail celebration for the French American Chamber of Commerce in New England (FACCNE) 30 years anniversary at the Residence of France in Cambridge, MA. Gérard Araud, French Ambassador to the United States, was the guest of honor.

Valery Freland, Patrick Bian, Nam Pham and Karilyn Crockett.

Valery Freland (Consul general of France in Boston), Patrick Bian (FACCNE’s President), Nam Pham (Assistant Secretary of Business Development & International Trade for the City of Boston) and Karilyn Crockett (Director of Economic Policy & Research for the City of Boston) all welcomed the large assembly gathered on September 12 and congratulated the FACCNE for its accomplishment and very active role in New England’s economical life.

French Ambassador to the US Gérard Araud.

Ambassador of France Gérard Araud addressed the assembly that evening, covering recent political events both in France and around the world. He emphasized the importance of a bilingual education in our globalized world and highlighted how important the long-standing French-American friendship is to the international diplomacy and in the economic sphere. He also insisted on the attractiveness of France with its very friendly tax-environment, in particular for innovative start-ups and R&D centers.

Free Immigration Legal Consultation

Boston City Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement - MOIA offers immigration clinics at City Hall on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month.The clinic runs from 12pm-2pm. This clinic is open to anyone, regardless of status, who has any immigration questions. Clinic attendees can expect a 20 minute consultation with an Immigration attorney.

MOIA also organizes two other Citizenship efforts:

Citizenship Day which is held once a year;

and a New American Workforce program.

This year, Citizenship Day will be on September 23, 2017. MOIA will partner with Project Citizenship to host a one-day workshop where people may come and fill out all their citizenship paperwork for free. MOIA hopes to serve 400 people on this day.